It's All a Game of Chess
by LadyPiratte
Summary: She might just be starting out, but she's already got great connections.  And that's her downfall.  What happens when a girl turns out to be more of a pawn against the greatest, and only Inception team... especially when she thinks she's a player.
1. 1:  Getting into it

**Disclaimer: I don't own the genius of Inception or another associated with it.**

_Chapter One_

If you had asked her three months ago if she'd be a nanny, she would have laughed in your face. It wasn't the whole taking care of kids part, it was just something so unlike her that she'd never even considered it. She was, or rather used to be, a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants girl who could hardly stay in one place long enough to build any life. Now she had an apartment, a lease that lasted a year, finishing out her masters and was a part-time nanny to a couple of adorable children. Her life was nowhere near what anyone, including herself, had ever thought it would be.

While Phillippa and James played in the living room, in full view from where she was sitting at the dining room table, she ruffled through piles of paper. Some were print outs of internet pages, others were copies of books, a few were hand written and there were even some already sorted into folders. In total, she'd made a complete mess of the table, but the children's father wasn't due home for another hour. By then, the place would be spotless and the paper work filed away.

She didn't calculate that their father would actually be home early. It wasn't unlike him since he seemed like the father that hated to even have her on call, but of all days to come home early it had to be this one. Usually she kept her work home, unless it was her art history books. There was a reason for it. The children's father was known worldwide in a certain field she was just stepping into. When she took the job, she hadn't connected the dots. Actually, it wasn't until the last month that she even figured out that the Dominique Cobb she worked for and the Dominique Cobb whispered about were one and the same. The two Cobb's just didn't add up, until now.

The knob turning, she bolted from the table, drawing the attention of the two children and hurriedly began gathering up the papers. Normally she liked them painstakingly filed away in a system only she understood, but there wasn't time for that. Instead, she was just stacking them up and trying to get them into some sort of order. There was no time to put them in her bag.

James was up first, running to the door and into his father's arm. Phillippa, a tentative girl, followed behind. She used that distraction to make the table look neat and moved on to the living room to clean up the toys. Dominique Cobb walked into the house, setting the keys on the table. With her back to him, she cringed.

"You don't have to worry about that, Juliet." He was talking about the toys.

Juliet waved him off. "No, no. It's fine."

"Your school giving you a lot of paper work, huh?" She heard him over her shoulder.

Hurrying to finish putting the toys in the ottoman for safe keeping, Juliet felt the briefest moments of guilt. It was the same feeling she used to get when her mother caught her stealing from the sheet of freshly made cookies. Or worse: the cookie dough.

"It's just…" She stopped when she met his gaze. He already knew what she was doing, and if he didn't, he was about two baby-steps away from putting it all together. But maybe he didn't suspect dreams; maybe he just thought she was getting in over her head. Juliet could run with that.

He held up a few pieces of paper. "I can't have this around my children. Whatever this is-"

Juliet snatched them out of his hand and replaced them on the top of her pile. "It's just research. A friend asked me to look him up. I kinda owe my friend one so, I did it."

There was a look in his eyes similar to tried patience. He walked away from her, hand to his face. "Juliet, you don't know what you're getting into." Cobb spun back around to her.

She frowned at that. Of course she knew what she was getting into and she was well aware of the consequences. On paper. About to retort back, Juliet thought better of it. The Juliet of a few months ago would have snapped like a spoiled child, not this Juliet. This Juliet was striving to be better. Instead, she just began putting the papers into her bag.

"Is Juliet leaving?" James tugged on his father's pants.

"I'll be back tomorrow." She promised, not completely sure she would be back tomorrow. There was a sharp little ping in her chest at that. Over the months, James and Phillipa had become a part of her daily routine. No matter what, she could always count on those two to be right where she left them.

"Why don't you go draw us a picture, huh? Phillipa?" He looked to his oldest for help. Dutifully, the little blonde took her brother's hand and led him away from them, helping to set him up to draw a picture.

When he turned his attention back to her, she was already swinging her bag over her shoulder. "Listen, I'll be back tomorrow at my usual time. I won't bring any paper work with me." Juliet turned to go, leaving Cobb to figure out how to tell James why she'd left before he finished his drawing for her.

Cobb caught her arm as she turned. "You have no idea how dangerous this can be," his voice was low, intense. "You're better off owing someone than this. Trust me, Juliet, this is a slippery slope."

Gently, Juliet removed her arm from his grip. "I'm a grown woman, Mr. Cobb. I know what I'm doing." She walked down the hallway and shut the door behind her as she left, not once looking back.

Back at the apartment she shared with two other people, she tossed her bag into her favorite arm chair. One of the other members of the apartment, David Lean, was lounging on their used and seventies inspired sofa. He was the friend she'd been doing research for and he looked up over his magazine at her. "Bad day at the office?"

"Ha. Ha." Juliet reached for the remote, ready to dissolve into a fantasy world that was just in two dimensions on a flickering screen.

David didn't stop looking at her. "Did you finish the research I asked for? We go in, in less than a week."

Juliet stopped her channel surfing, "No, but it's nearly there and I told you already, it isn't 'we' but 'you.' I already have a job this weekend. I've told you that, David."

"The mystery job. The mystery job you need to change." Her flatmate sat up to face her. "Juliet, I need you in on this with me. You're the person I trust most…"

Heaving a childish sigh, Juliet got to her feet. And to think, she'd only just sat down. "Find another ex-girlfriend. You've got plenty. In the meantime, I'm going to bed because apparently I have to finish your research tomorrow." Cobb wasn't going to like it either. 

_Author's Note: Honestly don't know where this story is coming from, so obviously I have no idea where the plot is actually going. Yes, you'll see more of how Juliet came to work for Dom and that whole relationship and why he can speak to her so frankly. It's gonna be unraveling as we go. And yes, Juliet is rather immature. You'll see she's about Ariadne's age but is no where near the maturity that Ariadne possesses. Juliet isn't that self aware of herself. _

_Anyway, I just thought it would be interesting to tell a story about someone getting into the dream business and it's great game of chess._


	2. 2:  In over her head

_Chapter Two_

The next day, Cobb eyed her bag, silent but clearly assessing just what was in it. He didn't make an attempt to hide the fact either, which Juliet knew he could. She pointedly took out a lap top and walked away, saying hello to the children and accepting James' exuberant hug. If Cobb had reservations, he didn't say anything and left her to watch his children. Evidently he still trusted her to watch them.

While James and Phillip devoured their lunches, Juliet sat down to work on her papers due in the next week when she would be absent. She was in the middle of putting together interesting little inserts about the industrial age when the door slipped open. Half expecting Cobb, she didn't turn. Only when the two children dropped from their chairs calling to their grandfather did she bother to stop typing.

"Professor Miles," She greeted him pleasantly. As part of her study abroad in undergrad, Juliet had taken an architecture course from the esteemed professor. In fact, he'd been her reference when she had been put up to nanny the two children. Seeing him was a welcome surprise.

Untangling from the children, he walked over to look over her shoulder, ever the teacher. "Ah, Miss Shaw. Industrial age. Quite an interesting period."

"I prefer Classical sculpture myself, but I'm intrigued by this now." Juliet's smile was an easy one, something she missed these days.

"As you are by other subjects, no doubt." There was something veiled in that remark that made her tense but she said nothing in response. "Just be careful, Miss Shaw. You have a bright future, remember that." He patted the back of her chair once and was instantly captured by the eager James.

Juliet watched them play for the next hour, using that time to push through her paper. While she was grateful for the Professor's visit, if only to finish her work, she was unnerved by his sudden advice. She wasn't aware that Cobb might have spoken to Miles about their disagreement the night before. It was perfectly plausible, just as much so that the sharp older man might have discovered it on his own.

When he left, she snapped her laptop closed, determined to focus on the children. James wanted to build Lego cities with her until they toppled over from poor construction or until Phillippa distracted him with a new idea. The two helped her with the preparations for dinner, though James left to set the table while Phillippa did more to help Juliet cook. They were checking the chicken in the oven when Cobb returned. Dutiful Phillippa didn't leave her assessment, determined to make sure the chicken was perfect before she greeted her father.

Juliet took that moment alone to fish out the chicken to cool on the stove top. Normally she might have gone to speak to Cobb, greet him at the very least. They often exchanged a bit of conversation, most of it rather mundane, but not today. Today Juliet stayed in the neat, little kitchen to avoid the awkwardness of what was bound to happen.

She was spared any of that when her cellphone buzzed in her pocket. With her hands in mitts, she wouldn't have answered normally, but she checked the id and stopped. It was her weekend job; she had to answer it. Juliet closed her eyes and hit the answer button. "Hello?... Wait, what are you talking about? Everything's been planned. The plan involves five people, not four, not two, but five… I'm not going in like that… Why? Because it's suicide, that's why…The success rate of a job working like that is about 5%... No that's not a scientific number…" She turned so that her back was to the kitchen opening, struggling to keep her voice low. "It can't be done… You can't force me… That's black mail. That's illegal… I know that but… Yes, yes of course I'll still do it if it put it that way, but I need at least one more person… What? Hello? Hello?" Juliet glared at the offending technology.

"Blackmail is a part of everyday life in that business." Cobb was leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets.

She didn't turn around to look at him, just tossed the mitts down with more force than necessary.

"What do they have on you?"

Juliet just shook her head, turning to leave. She meant to slip around Cobb and check on the children, but he moved, blocking her exit. "Respectfully, it's not of your business."

He didn't look like he was giving up any time soon. "Juliet, you've been here almost every day for three months looking after my children who I prefer to keep out of this world, you understand. What do they have on you?"

She took a moment before letting out a slow, long breath. "My little sister is studying in Greece, I mentioned that remember? They threatened to detain her; to keep her from coming back home. She can't handle detention let alone being held against her will in another country."

Cobb held her gaze for a long time and Juliet desperately wished he would just move out of her way. Dinner was getting cold and when it got cold, Phillippa just pushed it around her plate and didn't eat. "Who do you need for the last person?" He didn't look at all pleased to be asking her that. In fact, he looked like he'd just swallowed a cockroach.

"I need a forger. We have a half way decent extractor; not the best but he has a good track record. The architect has done his job but he refuses to go in, ever. Some bad experience or another. I don't dally in the forgery world so…" She trailed off after listing their members. Hearing it out loud sounded so much worse.

Cobb pinched the bridge of his nose. "Juliet."

"I know, Cobb." Realizing she wasn't escaping the kitchen, Juliet set about slicing the chicken and making the children's plates. At least they could eat while their father chewed her out. "When I signed on, it had a decent success rate, but it's spiraling. We should just pull out but you heard the conversation. It was fishy from the start. I shouldn't have taken it."

When she was finished putting the plates together, Cobb took them and set them on the table. The children, well, James, dashed to the table. A few moments later, the former extractor met her in the hallway. "Listen, I know a forger-"

Juliet stopped him, "We don't need a great forger, just a halfway decent one. The job isn't that complicated. It's two levels."

He grabbed her arm, pulling her further down the hallway and away from James and Phillippa. "You don't do anything halfway in this game, alright? You mess up just a millimeter and you're job is scrapped and your sister is stuck in Greece. He's more than a forger and you need someone to watch your back."

Her head slumped. After this little incident, she was pretty sure she was fired. "Fine."

"Can you do the extraction yourself?"

She looked up, "What are you talking about?"

"You said he was only decent. If you have to, can you do it yourself?" Cobb was looking at her with an intense stare that made her increasingly nervous.

Juliet had never been the extractor before. She knew how to do it in theory, having played point man most of the time, but she'd never been the one to initiate it. "I have never done it. I'm the pointman. I support the extractor."

"And you're also a extractor when you need to be," his words were tired, like he was frustrated she hadn't picked up a lesson before now, or didn't turn in her homework on time when he knew she'd completed it. "You're going to need to talk to some more people. When is this job?"

"This weekend." She told him without hesitation.

"Three days," he was lost in his thoughts for a moment, "You're here early tomorrow. Miles can watch the children."

"Cobb, you don't have to do this." Juliet was telling him, but he was already walking away from her. She took that as her cue to leave, grabbing her laptop and slipping out the door. She felt about as tall as James.

_Author's Note: So, not the turn I expected. It took me a bit to get this up since Miles decided to make an appearance and I have no idea why. And yes, Dom is helping Juliet. Yes, he wants to stay out of the dream business for the sake of his kids, but I also think he can't help himself, especially when he sees someone doing it all wrong. He's been in it so long that I really didn't want it to be easy for him to just give it up. Think of Juliet as his twelve step program to quitting._


	3. 3:  Run for it

THREE

Juliet arrived early after leaving David, grumbling about the whole situation, in the kitchen. She expected to see the two blonde children in the living room, watching their morning cartoons like always, but found Cobb instead. He was sitting with his fingers steepled and pressed against his forehead. When she came him, he sat up. The look he gave her was far from comforting.

"Where are Phillippa and James?" She asked, tentatively.

He let out a long breath before standing. "With their grandfather. Come on. Let's go." Cobb swept by her, picking up his jacket as he went. Juliet spun around to follow him, bewildered. By the set of his shoulders, she kept her mouth shut until they reached his car, which he held open for her like a gentleman.

Once they were on their way, her bag tucked neatly on her lap, Juliet ventured a question. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to meet some people and you're going to spend the day extracting information from them." He didn't look at her, not even a glance in her direction as he spoke. At the stoplights, he kept his gaze forward and hands on the wheels.

They ended up in a suburb and pulled into the driveway of a plain looking house with a sale sign in the front yard. Juliet shot him a look but Cobb just climbed out. She followed suit, trailing after him to the door and inside the home.

It was bare except for a few cots and a chair or two. A table was set up with a silver briefcase. No one was immediately visible until Cobb shut the door and turned the lock. A man came out from around the corner, lazily stirring his coffee. He had a patterned shirt under a plain blazer and a look of lazy confidence. Or maybe it was just carefully practiced.

"Ah, there you are." He greeted them. The man sipped at his coffee, peering over the edge of it at her. "When you said 'nanny,' I did not picture that, old boy."

"Eames, Juliet. Juliet, Eames." Cobb waved their introductions, checking the house over.

Juliet stepped forward, offering her hand to shake. "An honor."

Eames smirked, a sideways look to Cobb and slid his form into one of the chairs. "Where did you pick this one up from?"

She bristled. If this was the man she was supposed to work with, Cobb was not in his right mind and didn't know her one bit. "I'm standing right here."

Another sip of his coffee. "I can see that."

Juliet made a growling sound in the back of the throat. She had half a mind to slap him across his smart, English face. Instead, she used that energy to walk over to one of the cots and set her bag down. She didn't bother to take anything else out, just sat down herself, sinking further than she originally thought. Eames snorted in amusement.

"Miles recommended her," Cobb answered the other man's question. He crossed his arms and leaned against one of the far walls, by the front door. If someone walked in, he wouldn't be the first thing they saw, giving him some advantage. "She does her research. Almost as much as Arthur. Less organized."

That made him smile. "Probably not as tightly laced."

"Less organized?" Juliet took some offense. "I have a system. Makes perfect sense to me."

"Yes, love, but we've got to understand it too."

Her jaw tightened and she struggled not to clench her fists. "I dumb it down for everyone else."

Eames laughed. He turned to Cobb, gesturing with his stirrer at her. "Oh, she's a sharp one."

"I know." He agreed from his secure location. Then he started at the sound of a car door, and then another. A few seconds later and a key was shoved into the lock. The door swung open to reveal not one as Cobb was expecting, but two people: a man and a woman.

The woman was short, at least compared to Juliet who was considered tall. She had a friendly face that smiled easily at Eames. The man beside her was dressed impeccably, his hair slicked back and a jacket draped over his arm. He spotted Cobb first, exchanging nods with him. Cobb greeted the woman warmly, even going so far as to hug her tiny frame. His smile was genuine for the both of them, the first time Juliet really saw him do that to anyone other than his children.

"Ariadne, I didn't expect to see you." Cobb shut the door behind them.

"I didn't know I was coming until a couple hours ago when Arthur showed up on my doorstep." She tossed a thumb in the well dressed man's direction. Juliet almost thought she saw the man blush a little.

"I thought we could use her help," came his excuse. It was the same excuse David had said about her at one point. Now she was neck deep in the dream world with no intentions of leaving it for shore.

Near her, Eames stretched out in his chair, obviously without a care in the world. "And no good word to me? I'm hurt."

The man's face had an annoyed hardness about it that Juliet could relate to. "Hello, Eames." Apparently she was the only one he rubbed wrong.

"Ariadne, Arthur, this is Juliet."

There was a chorus of 'hellos' and hand shaking. Ariadne was friendly, coming right over while Arthur's was firm and to the point. As soon as he let go of her hand, he went to work setting the place up. He had her move a couple of times while he arranged everything.

Cobb wasted no time explaining to them everything, making her fidget and blush several times. They all agreed that practice was needed before they did any more planning. Whether that was to test her or to simply dive in to figuring everything out, Juliet wasn't sure. She suspected the first though. She'd expect no less from individuals of their caliber.

The better part of the afternoon was spent in and out of dreams. Ariadne constructed dreamscapes that made all other architects she'd worked with look like children. Eames and Cobb were suitably impressed with the subtly in which she'd make changes, praising her growth. Juliet just tried not to seem star struck by how well they worked together.

She was learning that Cobb was a more step-back-and-watch sort of instructor, allowing her to make her mistakes and experiment before pointing out what she did wrong. Juliet preferred that method, though Arthur was a careful instructor. Thankfully Eames simply played his part, observing more than interfering unless called upon. But they were good. Extracting even the most basic of information was like finding a needle in a haystack, which was to say: nearly impossible. Juliet didn't once succeed before the projections took her down.

After the last session, one in which she took a steel bar to the face, Juliet jumped into reality. She instantly felt for the ring she wore on a chain around her neck, feeling the inside for the tell-tale scratch that told her she wasn't in a dream anymore. Firmly in reality, she yanked out the IV, shot to her feet and wandered into the kitchen before the others said anything to her.

Juliet poured herself a glass of water, drinking half of it before she realized she wasn't alone in the room. Cobb leaned against the counter beside the sink. Dreading what he was about to tell her, she put down the glass with a loud clank. "You don't need to remind me how that went."

Cobb shook his head. "It wasn't bad."

"Were you not there? I took a pole to the face. I'd say that was pretty bad." In Juliet's book, anything that didn't end in success was bad.

"It could be worse, love." Eames joined them in the doorframe.

The two men exchanged a look and Cobb drifted out, patting her on the shoulder before disappearing. Juliet was left alone in the kitchen with Eames and that made her even grumpier. She snatched up the glass of water again.

He eyed the glass like she might just crush it and he'd have to rush in to stop the bleeding. "You have to loosen up a little bit. Just let it happen. You're a woman, use that to your advantage."

The water was gone and it didn't help her one bit. "I'm not using my sex."

"Hmm. A feminist." Eames acted like he knew her, watching her and probably taking little notes in his head.

"No. I'm just not going to sell myself. I have brains." Juliet couldn't believe she was even having the conversation. While she wasn't above flirting in a bar to get a free drink, using that to get her way in a job? It seemed somehow cheap and wrong. She had more pride than that.

Eames shrugged. Apparently it didn't matter to him either way. "And a body. Rule number one: use what you've got."

"Cobb!" Arthur was calling from the other room in what sounded like alarm. Curious, both Eames and Juliet went back into the living room where Arthur was peering out the window. There were two cars pulling up out front with men filing from them in suits. Instantly, both Arthur and Cobb were gathering their equipment. Eames was trying to hide some of the furniture.

"Come on," Cobb snagged her arm as they made their way to the back of the house.

Juliet fought against it. "My bag. My research."

"Forget it." He ordered her and it did sound like an order. For a few steps, he dragged her along until got her balance. As soon as he let go, Juliet dove for her bag. Just as she reached it, the door slammed open. Stuck in the open room, Juliet stared at them and they stared at her.

This time, Cobb's grip was like an iron vice. He hauled her away as the men snapped to attention to pursue. As soon as they were out the door, they were running, full sprint, hopping the fence into the next yard. Everyone split, going separate directions. Juliet stayed with Cobb.

_Author's Note: THANKS for the reviews! They make me so very happy. Alright, so here we are, which is nothing where I thought we'd be. So many things happened in this chapter that I didn't expect or see coming. Like this: I honestly thought Juliet and Eames would get along. Apparently I was very wrong. The end of this also caught me by surprise. Now I'm scratching my head and going: well, what was that? I guess we'll see._


	4. Cafes and Diners

Chapter Four

They ran for some time, enough that Juliet was practically begging to stop somewhere. Cobb kept going, slowly respectfully for her, but never slow enough to a walk. He constructed a complicated path of zigs and zags and a few back tracks until they ended up at a local café-diner combo a few blocks away from the house they were just in. Juliet thought they could have saved some time and some energy by taking less round-a-bouts.

She was struggling to stay upright, and she was a volleyball player, when they entered the diner, but they couldn't escape the glances tossed their way. In such a local place, everyone knew everyone and they did not know Juliet or Cobb. Clearly that made Cobb a little uneasy. He hid it behind a nod and smile to the head waitress and found them a booth near the rear exit.

Juliet collapsed into it thankfully, feeling the burn in her legs. Everything was tense and she felt like there were spiders calling all over her. Every glance, every shift Juliet was sure was one of them, whoever they were. Projections she was used to but real people acting like projections? She couldn't grasp that.

"Mr. Cobb," she couldn't stand the silence, "I really don't have any idea who they are."

He leaned forward suddenly, making her jump. "Who are you working for Juliet? Who did you piss off?"

Again Juliet was put off. Must she defend herself at every moment? Couldn't he accept that she was just as surprised as he was? "I don't know." He kept staring at her. "Look, the job is a few days away. I was only doing research for my friend, as a favor. I was off the grid, not even going in. Whoever he is working for can't know I was helping him."

Cobb let out a frustrated sound, running a hand down his face. "Juliet, they know."

"How? I mean, it's not possible. My brother's a hacker; he taught me how to cover my tracks. I don't even use my real name." Juliet was still breathless, but she believed what she said. Her half-brother, a moron of a man, knew computers left and right. When she'd started in on the dream business, she'd gone to him for some advice. He didn't share all his tricks, just enough to cover her tracks. It had been incredibly helpful in her school work.

Then he went still, his eyes focused on something behind her. She raised an eyebrow, then swiveled. Two men entered the café looking less formal than their buddies, but still out of place enough that she snapped herself back toward Cobb.

Juliet stood and headed toward the bathroom, doing her best to breathe normal and walk instead of running. She had no idea what Cobb was going to do. There wasn't any commotion out in the room, so she figured everything was at least going somewhat well.

Once in the bathroom, Juliet did circles. The stalls were no good, nor was the ceiling. All she had was a small window to work with and she decided that was her best bet. She shed her bulky jacket. Given how high up it was, Juliet grabbed the trash can, upending it and using it as a stool to boost herself up. It took a moment to figure out the lock, but she managed it.

Awkwardly she climbed out, wiggling to make it through the smallish window. She had her torso out and was clinging to the sides so as not to land on her head when the two suits turned the corner and pulled her from the window. She tried to do what the movies told her: lash out as much as possible, but they were stronger than they looked. They hauled her into the air. Over the man's shoulder, she caught Cobb's eye. "Help! Let go of me. Someone, help!"

She continued to struggle until she felt a prick in her neck. Juliet smacked at the man but she was already seeing two of him. "Stupid suits," word were becoming a challenge. "Let me go."

* * *

Holed up back at his place after a long day of covering their tracks, Cobb sat with Eames, Arthur and Ariadne in his living room. Miles had graciously taken the children out to dinner to keep them away from the dream business. Eames was lounging, munching a handful of peanuts he discovered in the cabinets. The other two were sitting on the love seat, one wearing a very serious expression and the other looking more concerned than anything else. Cobb wasn't sure which side he agreed with more: Arthur or Ariadne.

"What a bloody mess," Eames was the first to speak. Cobb nodded in agreement.

"They took her? In the open like that? Shouldn't the people in the café have heard her?" Ariadne asked, following the logical conclusion.

Arthur leaned forward onto his knees. "Not if they were paid off. Men with this mobility have the means."

Cobb shot to his feet, unable to stay sitting while his nanny was out there, kidnapped by people he'd spent a lifetime hiding from and for good reason. Getting caught by people like that? Most people, if they survived, came out a completely different person. Juliet was a nice enough young woman, still innocent enough to see the world in a better light. She wouldn't see it that way now.

"What does that… what does that mean?" The architect searched the men's faces.

"It mean," Eames popped a few more peanuts into his mouth, "that charming Juliet is in over her pretty little head."

The former extractor stared out his window and into the yard he usually watched his children play in. He wanted to strangle Juliet for dragging him back into the dream world and at the same time, was ruled by his concern. When he'd first noticed her research, he should have put a stop to it all.

"We have to get her back."

"Dom," Arthur shifted forward, "this isn't our usual game. This isn't a dream, this is real. Finding contacts will to surrender any information that might have been stupidly left out there, and it won't be anything substantial, isn't going to be easy."

Cobb sighed and Eames crunched his peanuts. Ariadne was the only one who seemed to be truly outraged by that idea. "What are you saying? Are you saying it's impossible? I thought building cities was impossible, but I've done it. Guys, we talking about a person here. She needs our help. We can't just leave her to them." Silently, Arthur reached back to give Ariadne's hand a squeeze.

Eames shrugged. "I hate to say it, but I agree with the old boy. It isn't much different than our other jobs. Could be interesting."

"We're going to have to call in a favor," Cobb stuffed his hands in his pocket, fingering the metal spinning top.

* * *

The room was cold, unbelievably so. She shivered and realized that her hands were bound behind a Victorian styled dinner chair. There was an old Tiffany lamp lit up behind her, casting a dim glow to the room, which was decorated in the overly styled way the rich were prone to. Her head was spinning and felt like an anvil had dropped on it.

"Hello, Juliet."

"David." Juliet stared at the blurry figure that came into her vision.

"I hope they weren't too rough with you. I wouldn't like your pretty face messed up. You know how much I liked how pretty you were."

_Author's Note: Just a shorty this time, and not even as good as I'd like it to be. After that last chapter, I had no idea where to go then it hit me and this little diddy wrote itself. I'm finding Ariadne and Eames to be easy to write where as I just can't seem to find Arthur. He's just so outside who I am. I'm such an Ariadne that I find writing Arthur difficult. Anyway... I'm finally starting to see where this might go plotwise, now I just gotta get Sato and Yusef in there because an Inception fic isn't an Inception fic until the whole gang is back together. I should really find a way to toss in a little Fischer cameo...but we'll see about that. I'll stop rambling now._


	5. 5:  Tiffany Lamps

**FIVE**

Juliet had a hard time grasping just what was happening to her. She was an art history graduate, a nanny and not some thug to be tied up to a chair. Desperate, she sought out anything that might scream out to her and reveal who these people were, but nothing said anything besides that they had a penchance for Victorian stylings and not in a very cohesive way.

Her wrists were rubbing raw from the ropes and her constant struggle to find a weakness. Her ties held good though and she was left sitting in an empty room after David had all but walked in, introduced himself and left. All she could do was wait and hope that Dom and the others would find her.

Juliet had just about memorized every scratch on the Tiffany lamp when a door swung open behind her. It closed quietly and at a leisurely pace, David came into her view again. He looked at her raw wrists, tsked and pulled up a chair infront of her to sit in.

"What are you doing, David?" She leaned forward, whispering.

He looked at her like she was her moronic brother. "Doing the job, Juliet."

"The job?" Juliet sat back, her mouth slack. "What job?" She was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"The one you wouldn't go in on. The one you just left for me to deal with." There was the David she knew, volatile and somewhat childish. The man she broke it off with because of his jealousy with her work.

She knew how to play his game. "I was never going in, you knew that. I was just doing your dirty work. Come on, David, what's this all about. Just let me go. Please."

He shook his head. "I can't do that. See, you know something very important to the people I work for. We need that information."

"All the research is back in my room. Just go and get it. I'm not stopping you." Juliet pulled at her restraints again, feeling the searing pain and a trickle of blood on her left wrist.

"Not that stupid stuff. The stuff about a certain ex-extractor, things like that." David was smiling and it was far from charming.

Her gaze drifted about the room. "Well, I've got nothing interesting to tell you." She wasn't lying when she said that. Juliet knew the rumours that ran about the dreaming circles when it came to her employer. Everyone knew them, she just had the added benefit that she knew them to be true. What he would want, she didn't know. Outside of that information, she only knew his family.

"Oh, I think you do. Now think, real hard, Juliet." He was patronizing her, something she didn't take kindly to. If her wrists hadn't been bound, she would have crossed her arms over her chest and stared him all. As it was, all she could do was stare.

"I don't know, David." Instead of a shrug, she used her eyebrows. "I wasn't exactly aware that I was sent in as a spy. I don't keep detailed notes."

"Yes you do."

"Not of a family, you sicko." Juliet frowned. Why would she write down what James ate that morning or what new piece of artwork Phillippa made for her father. She didn't keep track of Cobb's comings and goings; she sorted his mail now and then, and some addresses caught her eye, but that was it. How could any of that be of any use? Unless he was just trying to get her to recall some information...

Something in her eyes made him smile wider and get up to leave. "Thank you, Juliet."

"Wait, David," she was suddenly panicked. Something wasn't quite right. "David, where are you going? David? Please come back and talk to me. David!"

David stopped at the door. "Enjoy your stay. The sedative was rather strong, so I imagine you'll be here a while."

"A while?" Juliet's eyes were wide with terror. "How long?"

"You know?" He shrugged one shoulder, "I didn't ask."

* * *

"Thank you, Saito," Cobb pointed to a street, directing Arthur where to go as he spoke on the phone. "We'll talk soon."

"I have no doubt, Mr. Cobb."

They pulled up to an old mechanic's garage. The windows were boarded up and everything screamed that it was deserted. It was just Arthur and Cobb who had gone to the location they'd been given. Smaller numbers seemed like a better plan and Arthur was more than capable with a gun.

They took up a familiar routine, usually employed in the dream world. Guns were at the ready and each used hand signals to move the other one into position. Cobb tested the side door, finding it unlocked and shoved it open. Nothing happened. He crept into the dark place slowly. Arthur followed him, protecting his back.

Cobb got five paces in when he stopped and lowered the gun. On a dirty mattress, with an IV in her arm, lay Juliet. Arthur was in action without having to be told, going straight to her, checking for her pulse and checking the machine. "There's a lot of time left."

"How much?" He stuffed his gun into the back of his jeans and was rolling up his shirt.

"Dom." Arthur was shaking his head ever so slightly. Even as the younger man warned his old friend, Cobb was sitting down onto the mattress and reaching toward the machine.

"It's time we figured out what is going on, Arthur. Let the others know and get them here. Keep this place safe." He was readying the needle.

"You can't extract information from her. She'll be ready for that. The projections-"

Cobb shook his head. "No, she won't be expecting this." The routine was familiar: stick the needle in his wrist, relax and let it take over. For a brief moment he wondered if it was too easy to fall back into the routine. Was this like falling off the wagon?

* * *

_Author's Note: This is the shortest bit to date, but that's because the next bit is probably going to be rather long and I didn't want to chop that bit up. Anyway... Once I had Juliet kidnapped, I honestly had no idea how I was going to get her out of it. I decided to just sit down and do it, see what happens and this is what happened. It sets it up for a nice bit of drama, angst, and character development for Cobb and Juliet. I'm kinda pleased about that. Hope you enjoy the story so far and thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading!_


	6. 6:  Time to Kill

**Chapter Six**

Time was of the essence. With as much time as Juliet had left, Cobb was worried about one thing: Limbo. What he had said to Arthur was the truth: he was hoping to be able to glean a bit of information from Juliet without the others around, but the other reason was far more important. If she tried what most dreamers would try to waken: killing themselves, his nanny would end up in Limbo. Cobb wasn't sure he was ready to explain to his children why another woman in their lives had died.

Whoever had constructed the dream needed some guidance. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't the work of his protégé. Not everyone had Ariadne's skill, but Cobb expected more from the people who had given them quite the run around. Either the architect wasn't used to on the fly construction, or he just didn't care. Cobb figured it was a combination of both. Too many people were getting in on the business without the right training, or mind set.

Finding Juliet's building wasn't hard. At least the architect got that building right; it screamed Juliet's favoritism of old world style. He burst into the building and swore at the long, spiral stairs up to the top. Why did she have to like towers?

Mildly out of breath, he tried the only door there. It was locked, at least on first try. A swift kick that stung his ankle a bit, was all that was needed to persuade the door to open. The room it revealed was a mish-mash of Victorian style that almost hurt the eyes. A chair was in the center, but Cobb focused on Juliet.

She wasn't sitting in the chair anymore. Instead, his nanny was standing by a side table, toying with a letter opener. The scene was eerily familiar to Cobb and his chest tightened. She didn't have the conviction that Mal had, but he knew what she was thinking: if she killed herself, she would be back in reality. The truth was, if she did that, Juliet would wake up to find herself in Limbo and honestly believe that she was home. Cobb couldn't have that; not again.

"Juliet," she started and he moved into the room, "Don't do that."

Surprise registered in her eyes before she recognized who he was and how he got there. Juliet gripped the opener more firmly. "Why not? I'll just wake up. You die in a dream and you wake up, right?"

"Not this time," Cobb held out his hand for the weapon. "They used a stronger sedation. Arthur's working on a kick."

She was confused. Her hand wavered. "It's been a week. I counted. A week, Mr. Cobb. I want to wake up."

"You will," He was close enough to stop her hand with his. Cobb uncurled her fingers and set the opener down. Under his hand, he could feel her shaking. "Have you been outside this room?"

Juliet shook her head. "No."

"Alright," it was like talking to one of his children after a nightmare. "Let's use this as an exercise."

"Some exercise," she snorted in disgust but it sounded more like the Juliet he knew.

Encouraged, Cobb used her shoulders to steer her out of the room. He only hoped that Arthur was working on a kick. He hadn't told the other man to do so, but his former pointman was meticulous that way.

"Wait," she pushed back against him, "How will we know? Cobb, seriously. How much time is on that clock." The grad student was looking at him, no, relying on him to give her good news.

With a sigh, he stepped back. His children dug their feet in the same way, probably picked it up from Juliet no doubt. They weren't going anywhere, so he moved on to the second part of his plan: getting the information from Juliet. "Enough. A couple days more, if we're lucky."

She looked defeated, or resigned, Cobb wasn't sure which he was hoping for. Silently he hoped that Arthur would figure something out quickly. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Cobb, really. This wasn't how this was supposed to go."

"In this world, Juliet, nothing goes how you think it should. Remember that." He was looking around for a place to sit and settled on leaning against the window sill.

Juliet nodded and dropped to the floor, using a wall as a back rest. "I'm getting that. How could David do it? Use me like that again."

Cobb narrowed his eyes. "David? The man you were researching for? He did this."

She nodded and hung her head. Her voice was muffled but he could still hear her. "Yep. He didn't really want any of the information I painstakingly got for him. And it was fine work. So organized."

He didn't care much about her research, but he knew from working with Arthur that when people like his Pointman and Juliet put in all the effort, it was best just to let them be. Early in his team up with the younger man, Cobb had mistakenly gone through the files only to earn himself a lecture after. It brought a nostalgic smile to his face.

"He wanted the meaningless things. Or at least I thought so." She went on, berating herself out loud.

When she didn't go on immediately, he prodded her gently, "What sort of meaningless things? To a dreamer, nothing is meaningless."

"Right, I know." There was a youthful rebelliousness in that admission. "I was just so… How could I…"

Cobb didn't like the direction the conversation was going. His entire body was tense but he made a show of making it look relaxed. For all the world, Cobb looked like a man who was just waiting for the kick.

"Addresses. I shouldn't have even thought about them. Stupid extractors." Juliet was muttering but Cobb heard her well enough.

It took a moment for what she said to sink in. When it did, Cobb was kneeling infront of her, hands on her shoulders to force her attention on him. Her eyes were rimmed in red. "Juliet, what did you tell them?"

Juliet shook her head, closing her eyes and closing out Cobb's face. "It isn't what I told them."

"Damn it." Cobb was on his feet one more, pacing and running an anxious hand through his hair. His mind was going dozens of directions. They would know where he lived, who he was still in contact with even if they were just PO boxes. One address could lead almost anywhere. How many times had he and Arthur gotten everything they needed just by finding one series of numbers. Even if they didn't have a thing on him, they had gotten too close to his children. Cobb couldn't have that; it was the whole reason he didn't do dreams anymore.

"Mr. Cobb," Juliet was looking up at him with her young eyes, begging for his forgiveness.

Cobb wasn't so sure he could give it, not where his children were involved. "Arthur…" He growled under his breath, urging the kick on. 

* * *

_Author's Note: Ok, so not as climatic as I would like it to be. It's kind of disappointing to me, but I think it might lead to something a little interesting down the line. Now and then you have to have chapters like this that just set up other things... As much as they are a pain to get through. But now on to some good stuff, so I'm pleased with that... Plus, I've practically envisioned the next chapter already._


	7. 7:  Bam!

Chapter Seven

She shot up from her place on the old mattress. In a knee-jerk reaction, Juliet yanked out the IV. The sting was enough to almost clear her head but not enough to slow down her heart. Cobb wasn't yet awake so she scrambled to her feet. Juliet wasn't graceful and knocked into Eames who was standing at the head of the mattress, hands in his pockets. She didn't bother to apologize or register any complaint from the Englishman.

Just as Cobb was coming around, she locked eyes with the man and froze. She couldn't bear to look him in the eye for longer than a second. He would never forgive her, of that she was one hundred percent certain. Juliet had to get away from him. She put a hand to her head, mumbled something about needing air and headed for the nearest door.

Her hand slammed into the door, and once outside, fumbled in her pocket for her totem: a pink quartz. She turned it over and over in her hand. Reality wasn't much better than the dream but Juliet feared being stuck in the dream.

The door opened and shut behind her. Ariadne came up beside her, watching the taller woman for a long moment. Juliet didn't mind, she wasn't much for talking at that particular moment. They just stood that way until Ariadne drew a breath to say something. Juliet was dreading whatever it was that she was going to say.

Just then, a door slammed opened. Both women turned to see the men filing out, arms full. Juliet met Cobb's eyes once, then ducked her head. Her hands balled into fists and she desperately wanted to punch something, which was a new sensation for her.

"Juliet, you're driving. Let's go," Cobb ordered in a tone that Juliet had heard him use with his children when they were in trouble; once when James had drawn on the walls.

Obediently, Juliet followed Cobb to the car, avoiding any contact with the other men and only shooting a quick glance at Ariadne who was giving her a reassuring smile. Juliet didn't buy it, mostly because she wasn't reassured when she slid into the car and realized that it was going to be a very quiet car ride. "Where are we going?"

"Home. We've got to pack the kids' things for a long weekend with their grandfather." Cobb kept his eyes forward.

Juliet winced. "Of course. Cobb-"

"Juliet," he interrupted her. "Do you realize how long it took me to be able to see my children again?"

She know, only because she'd done her research. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize, I swear."

"They're my life, Juliet. I'm their father. This is exactly why I stayed out of it." He didn't move his eyes, though the change in his jaw said everything.

She bit her cheek and stepped on the gas. The sooner they were back, the sooner she could just disappear to pack Phillippa's things, away from Cobb.

The rest of the ride was left with that tension. Neither spoke, nor looked at one another. When she pulled into the drive, no one else had arrived. She wasn't sure that anyone was going to arrive. They slipped into the house, which was quiet. Juliet found that odd but guessed that Miles must have taken the children to the nearby park. She often did just that when she watched them.

Cobb dropped his keys on the table by the front door, habitually scooping up the mail and flipping through it. As he walked further in, the envelopes slid across the dining room table. Juliet followed obediently, scooping up Phillippa's pink coat and hanging it on the coat hanger. "Phillippa? James?"

No one answered. Juliet immediately went to Phillippa's room, leaving Cobb to explain things to Miles and the children when he found them. She found the girl's pink duffel bag that she used when she spent nights with her friends and filled it with clothes and Phillippa's favorite stuffed animal. In the bathroom the young girl shared with her brother, Juliet packed away her toothbrush, hairbrush and other overnight supplies.

She had just finished when she heard a sound from the foyer and went to investigate. The pink duffel bag was left on Phillippa's perfectly made bed. As Juliet rounded the corner, she came face to face with Cobb's friend, Arthur. He raised a small hand gun. Juliet only had time to raise a hand before she heard the sound.

* * *

Juliet shot up, gasping from breath. Eames was at her side, pulling the IV out and keeping her low to the ground. Above her head, bullets buzzed too close to her ear. Without a second to get her barrings, Eames was pulling her toward a side door, just like the one she'd thought she'd already left through. She glanced back to see Arthur waking up, in a much more calm manner and retrieve his gun from beside him. He was firing at someone when Eames pushed her through the door.

Ariadne was waiting, waving frantically toward a car. From the other side of the building, Cobb and Arthur were running toward them, taking turns firing back over their shoulders. Juliet was still gasping for air when she curled into the backseat of the car, followed by Eames who kept her head down.

No one spoke for a few moments, then they started to sit up. Ariadne checked her mirror to make sure that Arthur and Cobb were following. Juliet fumbled for her piece of quartz and sighed with relief when she felt the crack. Reality. She was finally back in reality. "Cobb! And the kids. I have to-"

"Easy there, love." Eames was pushing her back into the seat.

Ariadne took a sharp turn. "I'm sure Arthur is filling him in. Don't worry."

"They know where he lives. Damn it. I should have known. I've screwed this all up." Juliet dropped her head against the glass, hard.

Eames shared a glance with Ariadne in the mirror.

* * *

_Author's Note: THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS, GUYS! It's because of you that I keep going... that and I really wanna know where this ends up myself. So, this is actually the second version and it's much better than the other. I was having such trouble with this until it hit me, ironically in a dream, she's still dreaming. Now I just have to deal with what I avoided in this version: Cobb's reaction to endangering his kids. Yeah, I'm trying to avoid that as much as possible... somehow I don't think he'll let me._


	8. 8:  Bound to Happen

**Chapter Eight**

  
"Cobb!"

Cobb was already out of the car, slamming the door shut and stalking toward the other car, whose passengers were just beginning to unload. Juliet had the unfortunate luck to be getting out on the side closest to the man. Arthur was hot on his tail but it was Eames who slipped around and intercepted him before he could get to Juliet.

"What did you think was going to happen, Juliet? That they weren't going to go after them? They're my kids! My kids and you look after them." Cobb was trying to get around Eames who was doing whatever he could to keep him away from the girl.

Juliet backed up, her eyes red around the edges. Arthur was at Cobb's side, doing what he could to assist Eames. "I know," she mumbled.

The man was fuming. "My kids!"

"I know!" She shot back. Juliet had yet to back down from an argument, from her father, brother, Cobb in the past, never. Just because she knew she was the cause didn't mean she was just going to allow herself to be yelled at. "And I'm sorry. Do you think I wanted this? I love those kids!"

"I think everyone needs to calm down." Eames gave a pointed look to Cobb. Arthur pulled Cobb away, walking him over to the other car and talking to him quietly. That left Eames, who made sure that Arthur was working whatever Arthur-magic he had before looking at the two women.

Juliet walked back, rubbing her face with her hands but it was Ariadne who spoke first. "Miles is with them, right?" They all looked at the little architect. "Then he'll keep them safe. He knows the game and we all know he wouldn't let something happen to them."

The other woman's eyes looked at her filled with hope but Cobb wasn't so easily convinced. He wanted to be, they all could see that. "Ariadne's right, Dom. We'll get a message to Miles." Arthur stayed behind Cobb, whether to keep him from running or to be able to hold him back, was left up to debate.

"So what's the next step?" Eames, left standing in the middle, cast a glance in either direction.

"The next step is to meet our requests."

Three guns were raised, pointed at the intruder who lifted his hands to reveal that they were empty. Juliet paled and found it hard to breath. "David."

The man, dressed well in a navy suit, looked around the guns to her. "Juliet, how did you like your little home away from home?"

Without thinking, Juliet lunged forward, hoping to tear into the man who'd set her up. Ariadne snagged her sleeve, slowing her down but it was Eames who snatched her around the waist and held her back. No one looked her direction. "Bastard!"

David laughed a little. "Kitty has claws now."

"What are your requests?" Cobb all but growled out. The guns didn't move.

The smile dropped and he was all business. "Call it a job, Mr. Cobb. We're all dying to see you back in action."

"What kind of job?"

"Even I don't know the details. It's all here," David held out a tablet and when no one stepped forward to take it, set it on the ground at his feet. "There's no escaping this. You do the job, you get the kids. Don't do the job and…" He shrugged.

Juliet lunged forward again without much progress. "They're children! How could you just let-"

"They're not my problem. We've all got debts, Juliet, and I'm paying mine. One day, you'll have to too." With that, David turned on his heel, hands still raised in surrender and walked away. No one moved to follow him. They all knew that following David wasn't going to lead them anywhere.

When he was out of sight, the guns were lowered. Arthur finally went and grabbed the tablet, his face unreadable. Juliet, on the other hand, was transparent in her rage. She separated herself from Eames and straightened her clothes. Cobb was staring off and that was fine with her. "All this for a job?"

"Welcome to the business, love," Eames cast a look in her direction.

Juliet returned the look with a glare. "Stop calling me that." Eames shrugged.

"So what is it, Arthur?" Ariadne was moving toward the young man who was scanning over the tablet. His face was growing tighter the more he read.

He handed it over to the small woman and looked directly at Cobb. "We should have seen this coming."

Juliet's eyes widened. "You mean… inception?" It was whispered but they all heard it.

Cobb rubbed his hand over his eyes. "You can't unlock Pandora's box without consequences."

"There has to be some way around it," Ariadne was still scanning but there was clear hope in her voice.

"Maybe," Juliet was hesitant as an idea formed in her mind. "maybe we play their game?" Several sets of eyes looked her direction. "For a while, long enough to find Miles and the children."

Arthur was shaking his head. "They'll never stop looking."

"Either way we have to at least play along, right? We just need time. I can figure this out, I swear. I can make this right." Juliet ignored everyone else and just looked at the father of the children whose lives were at stake.

Cobb's face was grim. He held out his hand for the tablet and began looking it over. She had a feeling that no matter the outcome, they were never going to be friends again. Endangering his children was crossing a line, however unintentional.

"We need to find a place to go through all the information. They'll be waiting for our reply, not hunting us down." Sensible as ever, Arthur urged them back to the cars.

Juliet eased back into the car, this time with Ariadne at her side. The other woman gave her a sad smile but it couldn't erase the facts. Somehow, Juliet had started all of this and somehow she was going to have to find a way to finish it. She just wasn't sure how yet.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry about how long it took to get this up. Suddenly David waltzes in and I'm left with a conundrum. So, yep... so original to bring up inception again, I know, but I figured, if you started something like that and not expect it to spread around the dreaming world. It's got to come back and bite them. Now the trick is to get them out of it. It's easier said that none, that's for sure. I definitely feel like Juliet right this moment._


End file.
